Aftermath
by See Jane Write
Summary: The events that happened right after the courtroom shooting in Raw. Strong EO and OC friendships.


Aftermath

Summary: The events that happened right after the courtroom shooting in "Raw". Strong EO and OC friendships.

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Olivia, Elliot, Casey, the events in "Raw", etc.

Spoilers: "Raw", "Loss".

Author's Notes: Ok, so here's the story I've been meaning to get done ever since "Raw" aired, but time is a factor. Plus, I couldn't really decide who I wanted to pair Olivia with for this fic. I love EO and OC, so there are implications for both. You can interpret it however you wish. Read, review. Enjoy.

* * *

It was over. The shooting had stopped. Detective Olivia Benson could not feel any pain. She could not recall anyone trying to shoot at her, but it all happened so quickly that she could not have seen everything. The only thing she could grasp was that it was done.

She could not think about herself. Her adrenaline was much too high. If she had been shot at, she would not know it. She glanced in front of her. The judge was out of sight. Her eyes darted to the left.

Elliot was nowhere to be seen.

Subconsciously, Olivia began taking a few steps closer to the front of the courtroom. The 'Star Morrison' had been revealed to be an FBI agent. She was standing in front of Elliot now. Elliot was unconscious, but Olivia could tell that he was alive. He was not the focus of everyone else's attention. He might be the center of hers at the moment, but only the FBI agent was with him. Elliot was going to make it. As long as Olivia had that knowledge, she could rest easier.

Not that she would be resting anytime soon, but she did take comfort in the fact that Elliot was going to be fine.

Olivia heard a small, almost inaudible noise coming from behind her. It sounded like someone gasping, but she could not be certain. Olivia quickly turned around.

Casey Novak was sitting down in front of the jury box. Her arms were held closely to her thin body. Her body was shaking in fear.

Olivia rushed over to her and placed an arm on Casey's shoulder. The movement caused the blonde ADA to jump.

"It's all over now," Olivia said soothingly as she sat down and pulled Casey into a comforting hug. Normally she was not the kind for hugging, but Casey was clearly traumatized. As a friend, it was Olivia's duty to comfort her. She would not leave until Casey felt better.

Casey reciprocated and moved closer towards Olivia. Casey could hear the other security officers yelling for medical assistance. This was real. Someone had grabbed her from behind and held a gun to her head. They then threw her to the ground. She had not felt this frightened since she had been attacked. She shuddered again.

"It's all over," Olivia repeated in the same soothing voice.

"I-I could feel th-the…gun on my…h-head," Casey choked. She was on the verge of the tears. Just recalling the experience put a stammer in her speech. "Th-the way they grabbed me…I couldn't even--couldn't even tell who it was." A small tear formed in the corner of her right eye.

As the tear made its way down Casey's cheek, Olivia's sympathy for Casey grew. She wished that she could say something to console Casey, but she doubted any words could. Olivia simply held Casey tighter. She felt Casey's head going to her shoulder.

Casey could feel Olivia's hand on her back. It was moving in small circles. Strangely, it was helping Casey calm down a little bit. Although her body was still shaking, the shaking was less intense. She knew it was over. She was safe in Olivia's arms. Nothing could happen to her. Her eyes closed for just a moment.

_The hands were around her waist. The grip was strong, too strong. She was paralyzed in fear in the grip of some stranger. There was a gun being pressed against her left temple_. _It remained there for what seemed like an eternity before she felt herself being released from the grip. She hit the floor hard._

"Oh god," Casey exclaimed as she quickly jolted her eyes open. Her tone of voice hinted that she was still on the verge of crying. She tightened her hold on Olivia.

"Casey," Olivia whispered gently. "Do you maybe want to get out of here?" she offered. "Get some fresh air? I'll be with you the entire time, I promise."

Casey pondered the idea as she pulled her arms off Olivia's shoulders. It was not until the ADA pulled both her hands close to her body that Olivia noticed something else was wrong. Casey's arms were both covering her chest, and they were side by side. It only took a cursory look-over for Olivia to realize that one of Casey's wrists was slightly larger than the other one.

Olivia could hear the ambulance sirens approaching the courthouse. She quickly glanced at Elliot for a moment. He was still unconscious, but the federal agent was still with him. He was still alive. While Olivia had a deep concern for his health, she could not do anything about it right now. She could, however, help Casey.

"Case?" she asked gently. "There are ambulances outside. You should have someone check you out."

"I-I'll be fine," Casey tried to assure Olivia. Her voice was still a little unsteady. "Just freaked out from all this."

"And I would be freaked out too if I was you," Olivia started, "but Casey, look at yourself." Olivia gingerly reached out and pointed to Casey's swollen arm. "You hit the floor a little harder than you thought."

"I'll be fine," Casey repeated. She did not want to look at Olivia as she lied. She did not want the attention; she did not need the attention. Instead, her gaze moved around the courtroom. The judge was out of sight, and, as far as she could tell, no one was with him. Elliot was unconscious. Several EMTs were rushing inside the courtroom, and two were rushing to Elliot. Elliot was being placed on a stretcher and rushed out of there. Munch was on a stretcher right behind them.

_Oh, no,_ Casey thought as she saw her friends being rushed out of the room. They were the ones who were bleeding. They had been shot, so obviously they should get the attention. She did not need Olivia coddling her.

She exhaled deeply. She did not need it, but it was nice. Munch and Elliot had the pleasure of being unconscious and therefore unable to grasp what had just happened. Nothing could get her mind off of it.

Investigators were coming into the courtroom now. Casey had no doubt that the crime scene tape was already placed in front of the courtroom. At the very least, it was on the side. Most of the investigators were questioning witnesses. Few were looking for evidence, namely where Kyle had dropped the gun. After a couple minutes of searching, one of them found it under a seat. His proclamation of that fact was loud and was accompanied by a triumphant displaying of the weapon.

The investigator held it up in his white-gloved hands. Casey moved over on the floor slightly to get a closer look. She gasped as she finally saw it. Her brown eyes widened with fear.

_The gun was at her temple. She knew that in any moment the trigger could be pulled. That would be it. She would not have had a chance to say good-bye to her family, her friends, Olivia and the rest of the SVU squad. When her attacker threw her to the ground, she could not help but feel relief. Injuries to her body from the fall would heal, but nothing could bring her back from the dead. She heard a shot being fired, but she did not see where it was going._

Casey fainted backwards into Olivia's arms. Olivia's reflexes were fast, and she caught the young prosecutor. She knew not to wake Casey. She tried not to move Casey's body too much. Casey's head was rested against Olivia's left shoulder. Casey was in a sitting position in Olivia's lap. Her legs were at Olivia's right.

Olivia looked back at where Casey's head had been turned before she fainted. Olivia saw the two investigators bagging the gun for evidence. She knew that had to be what set Casey off. She saw Melinda Warner walking in through the courtroom doors. For the rest of the courtroom, this meant bad news, but Olivia relished in seeing a familiar conscious face. She stuck her right hand up to catch Warner's attention.

"Oh, no," Warner began as she rushed to Olivia. She knelt down in front of the detective and focused her eyes on Casey. "Don't tell me that she's been shot, too. I just saw Munch and Elliot." Personally, she did not know how much more of this she could take and maintain a professional attitude towards the case.

"How are they?" Olivia interrupted. She unconsciously dropped her right hand down to Casey's as she braced herself for the worst.

"I believe they will be just fine," Warner assured Olivia. There was confidence in her voice.

"They believed Alex was going to be fine, too," Olivia whispered. She knew that the ADA had in fact survived being shot, but she could still recall the moment when she was informed that Alex was dead. It seemed too real.

_"We treated her for hours," the doctor was saying. Olivia knew where this conversation was headed. She had heard it being said to many victims' families. She had to tell people this information. It was never easy._

_Olivia could feel her eyes filling with tears. Elliot saw her tensing up, and he wrapped his left arm around her shoulders. His right hand joined with hers for comfort._

_"I'm sorry, detectives. She lost too much blood. There's nothing more we can do."_

_Olivia started breaking down. Elliot quickly pulled her into a hug. Her tears were going into his shirt. Elliot's arms were around her. Alex was gone. Just like that. She was too damn stubborn about remaining on the case, and it had cost her her life. She really was gone._

_"I'm very sorry."_

It was a real threat. She could not stand losing another person close to her. True, Alex was not dead, but she might as well be. Olivia was not allowed to contact her. She did not even know where Alex was. She had a new identity again.

"You're certain?" Olivia asked.

Warner nodded. "They've already slowed the bleeding way down, if not stopped it. Munch and Elliot will be just fine," she assured Olivia. She looked down at Casey. She immediately noticed the prosecutor's swollen wrist. She also noticed that Casey looked extremely pale. She knew that Casey was already a pale woman, but she looked paler than normal. It might be just the lighting of the courtroom, but she had to ask. "And Casey?" she asked. "She wasn't shot, was she?"

Olivia shook her head as she rubbed her hands down Casey's arms. "Someone attempted to, or maybe it was a scare tactic. I'm not really sure what it was, but the shooter grabbed her from behind and held a gun to her head. When they discovered the gun, I think it sent her into shock or something."

Again, Warner nodded. "That'd be my first guess," she said. "There's another ambulance out there. I'll call for another stretcher, and we can get her admitted for--"

"You know that she's going to object the second she wakes up," Olivia pointed out.

"Does that change anything?" Warner asked as she stood up.

"Not at all," Olivia declared. "She can be stubborn all she wants, but I want her observed. For the rest of the afternoon at the very least."

Warner nodded as she quickly left the courtroom for another stretcher. She returned in about three minutes, and Casey was carefully transferred onto the stretcher and wheeled outside. She still had not stirred, but Olivia followed close behind. She saw the first of the ambulances leaving as they got to the outside of the courthouse. The second followed right after that. Casey was taken into the third.

"You coming?" the paramedic asked Olivia.

Olivia nodded as she quickly got inside. She sat down on the side of the ambulance and took Casey's hand. "It's all over," she whispered again. "You're safe now."

* * *

The wait in the hospital was insane. As soon as the ambulance had arrived, Casey was in the emergency room. Elliot and Munch were already being treated in the trauma rooms. The judge had not made it. One of the security guards from the courtroom was in the trauma rooms as well, although there were not as many doctors working on his case. They knew he would not recover.

Olivia wanted to go in there. She had to get in there. Elliot and Casey were in there. The two of them meant more to her than anyone else she had left in the world. She did not know what she would do without them. She had to know that they were going to be ok. She had to hear it from medical professionals. She had to hear it while looking at her friends. She had to see them.

Unfortunately, the doctors had a job to do. The ER was crowded enough with patients. They did not need family or friends who would only be asking questions. Olivia had no choice but to wait in the waiting room.

They had to be ok. They just had to. Warner said so herself. There should not be any complications. Olivia was certain that the staff had seen worse GSWs in their tenure here. This should be nothing to them.

Nothing to them, but everything to her. She still could not rest easily. She was pacing back and forth. She knew she was probably freaking out some of the other patients, but she did not care at that moment.

"Olivia, thank God," Captain Cragen exclaimed as he rushed into the waiting room from outside. He rushed over to his detective. "All I heard was that there was a shooting, and some of my detectives were injured. I couldn't remember who was at court."

"They won't tell me anything," Olivia said. She was growing more worried with each second. Why couldn't they tell her anything? She tried to see past the nurse at triage, but it was impossible. She could not get a clear view of anything in the actual ER, let alone something concerning her friends.

"Who is it?" Cragen asked. "Not one of my main detectives is at the squad room. Liv, I know you know more than I do. Who is back there?"

Olivia drew in a breath. She had to tell him. It was his right to know. "Munch," she began, "Casey, and Elliot." It sent a chill up her spine. She could feel it.

"Anything critical?" Cragen asked.

Olivia shook her head. "Warner doesn't think so. But the fact that Munch and Elliot still aren't out of trauma is starting to concern me. We've been here for nearly two hours, and I haven't heard anything since I got here."

"It's probably nothing," Cragen assured her. He sounded confident. He wished he could give her something more than just a confident say-so, but he could not. He believed his words were true though. Otherwise he would not have said them. He knew his detectives. They wouldn't let something like this be the reason they went.

"And just because you say it in that tone does not make me any more likely to believe you," Olivia responded.

"But you will believe medical professionals?" Cragen questioned her. He caught a glimpse of a man in scrubs walking towards them. He was coming from behind Olivia.

Olivia did not notice his presence right away. "As long as they don't know me," she responded.

"Detectives," the doctor announced. He had three charts in his hands. Without a doubt, those were the ones that belonged to Casey, Elliot, and Munch.

Olivia quickly turned around. She saw the charts and made a grab for them, but Cragen was able to hold her back. The two of them found themselves joining hands to prepare for the worst.

"I'm Dr. Peterson, the attending on all three cases," the doctor introduced himself. "We are finished examining and treating your other detectives and ADA."

"Finished as in a good thing, right?" Olivia asked fearfully.

Dr. Peterson nodded. "They're going to be just fine," he assured Olivia. "Detective Munch is still in surgery since the bullet was lodged deeper than we thought, but he's going to be fine. Dr. Corday is one of the best surgeons we have. I don't know why Chicago let her go, but Detective Munch is in the best care because of it.

"Detective Stabler is in good condition. He lost some blood, but we were able to undo the damage. He's being admitted for observation as we speak. All goes well there, and he should be home by the weekend."

Olivia nodded to each point. With each sentence out of the doctor's mouth, she felt the tension leaving her body. "And Casey?" she asked curiously.

Dr. Peterson nodded. "Ms. Novak is still asleep. We treated her sprained wrist, and we're currently waiting to get her admitted for overnight observation. She should be admitted within the hour," he promised.

"Thank you," Olivia said. "Thank you, thank you." She could have kissed him, but she knew that would be inappropriate. She was just relieved that things were going to be ok.

"You're very welcome, Detective Benson," Dr. Peterson responded. "Now if you'll excuse me, I do have other patients."

"Of course," Olivia said. She watched him disappear back into the ER. She then turned to Cragen with a joyous expression on her face. "Oh, thank God," she exclaimed.

* * *

Olivia was sitting in the chair in Elliot's hospital room. He still was not awake, but she could see his chest moving up and down. He was breathing on his own, so she knew he was fine. The doctors told her, and she could see it for herself.

Her worry about him was over. She did not need to be worried. She just needed to be there for him. She certainly had not called Kathy, and she seriously doubted Cragen or Fin had either. She knew that Kathy had a right to know. She was still Elliot's wife after all. But Olivia knew it would not be a good idea for her to tell Kathy. Many arguments in Elliot's marriage were over her. She knew that. Elliot told her. Even before he and Kathy separated, Elliot spent more time with Olivia than Kathy.

But someone had to be there when Elliot woke up. It had to be someone close to him. Given the situation, it had to be her. She would wait all night for him if that's how long it would take. She placed her hand on the bed on top of Elliot's.

Watching him sleep there made her realize how lucky she was that he had survived. Subconsciously she knew he would, but to see him in person made it more real. She needed him in her life. She did not think she could go on without him. She needed him both at work and outside of work. He was her closest thing to a long friend. Losing that would destroy her.

Slowly, Elliot's eyes began fluttering open. Olivia noticed it right away. He looked as though he was trying, but he just couldn't. "It's ok," Olivia began soothingly. "I'm here. It's ok."

Elliot's eyes opened a little bit. He closed them once again before he was able to open them all the way. He looked at his surroundings. He then glanced to his left at his company. "Liv?" he asked softly.

Olivia nodded. "It's me," she said. "Do you know where you are?"

"I'm in hell," Elliot said. "Don't know what you're doing here though."

Olivia's face turned to one of sympathy. "You remember, don't you? You know why you're here?"

Elliot nodded a response. "Fuzzy on the details, but the pain in my arm gives me a pretty clear idea." He sighed as he gazed into Olivia's eyes. "Still doesn't explain what you're doing here."

"I was worried about you, Elliot," she responded. "You scared me half to death in that courtroom."

Elliot frowned. "Only half? Why?" he joked.

"Well, Munch and Casey were also affected," Olivia pointed out. "They have to get some of my worry."

Again Elliot frowned as he extended his good hand to Olivia's cheek. "Poor girl. You shouldn't need to have so much worry. We're going to be fine." At Olivia's silence, he asked, "We are all going to be fine, right?"

Olivia snapped out of her thought. "Of course," she said. "Munch is out of surgery, and he's in recovery. Last I heard he was still unconscious, but I've been here for the past couple of hours. Cragen was here earlier, but he had to leave. He couldn't have the whole squad staying here."

"Fin?" Elliot questioned.

"Saw him around. Says he'll be back with some fast food or something once he gets off."

"Casey?"

"Right here," Casey announced from behind Olivia. Olivia gasped as she turned around and saw the ADA. She was still dressed in her clothes from court. The only way Olivia could tell that she was still a patient was the hospital identification bracelet on her non-sprained right wrist. Her left wrist was wrapped in bandages, but otherwise she looked fine. She was much less frightened than she had been earlier in the afternoon.

Olivia hugged Casey lightly. "You ok?" she asked.

Casey nodded. "I'll be fine," she said. "For real," she added as she saw the look of slight disbelief on Olivia's face.

"Well, join us," Elliot said as he moved his legs in an invitation for Casey to sit down. With Olivia's help, he was able to push himself up higher on the bed. "We're going to eat Jell-o and wallow in self-pity."

Casey let out a small smile as she sat down at the end of Elliot's bed. "I think I'll pass on the Jell-o, thank you, but I will enjoy the company. My roommate insists on watching those fake lawyer shows. In addition to all being the same and very inaccurate, the current episode was about guns, and…Plus the defense was all arrogant, and they were questioning witnesses all wrong, and…"

"That's a fault on the writing," Elliot pointed out. "What they need is fresh story ideas. Have them spend a week in our lives, and then we'll see what's going on."

Olivia raised a thin eyebrow at the male detective. "A show about sex crimes? Please. El, who do you honestly think would watch that?"

"There could be people," Elliot argued. "I'm right, aren't I, Casey?" he asked.

Casey had the same disbelieving look as Olivia. She shook her head slightly at him before turning back to Olivia. "Munch alright?" she asked.

Olivia nodded. "He's going to be fine. He's still asleep, but he should be back to his sarcastic self within an hour or two."

"Good," Casey said softly. "Good." She gazed around the room. Olivia. Elliot. Wall. Extra chair. Window. It was exactly identical to her room. The only difference was, of course, this one had her friends in it. "Well, this is fun," she noted dryly.

Olivia nodded. "It'll get better when Fin smuggles in some real food for us." She looked back and forth between Elliot and Casey. "The important thing is that you're both ok. I don't know what I would do without you."

* * *

((Thanks for reading. And because I am one of those _ER_ freaks, I had to put the Elizabeth mention in there, It came to me.))  



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